Please join us at our next Home & School Club meeting on December 18th at 7pm in the Leigh Library. All are welcome.

Read the minutes from our October meeting here . 

 

Volunteers Needed for our Grad Night Team

We need people to join our Grad Night team! Kristina Williams is chairing this team and has some wonderful ideas, but she needs support in order to be able to make them happen. If you would like to help in any way, big or small, we would very much appreciate it. We promise it will be fun!  If you are interested, or would like to learn more about this role, please contact Kristina at GradNight@leighhsc.org.

Hear from our Teachers

Ms. Celeste Smiley is the teacher rep for Home & School Club. At each meeting, she shares what is happening in the classrooms and other general info related to the teachers. Her reports provide a treasure trove of information and highlight so many of the amazing things happening at our school. Click here to view the report she shared at our November meeting.

T o support our ongoing learning as parents and guides for our children, the Parent Ed committee (AnaMaria Guevara, Amy O'Hehir & Janae Pierre) has put together a series of talks on topics that are highly meaningful and relevant for raising teenagers in today's society. As parents ourselves, we know that we all have full schedules, and have closely vetted all presenters to ensure that these talks are worth your time. Mark your calendar and see you soon.

1/29/18   Surviving the High School Transition: Raising a Neurodiverse (ADHD, ASD, LD, mood disorders) Student & Preparing Them for Life After High School by Jan Johnston-Tyler.

(Jan is the founder and CEO of EvoLibri, which serves youth ages 14 into adulthood and author of "The Mom's Guide to Aspergrer's Syndrom.")  

The talk is an opportunity to gather information and resources on how to offer your student the help and support they need. Specifically, learn essentials for making the post high-school transition more smooth, and learn about programs and tools available to assist with workplace and college success.

Reserve your seat now (FREE)

2/28/18 Teen Driving: What do you consider lethal? A talk for parents to attend with their teen driver by Impact Teen Drivers.

Come learn about the importance of parents as the number one influencer of teen driving behavior, strategies for keeping your youth safe on the roads, current research and trends in teen driving, and how YOU can help stop the #1 killer of teens in American-reckless and distracted driving.

3/26/18 Teen Anxiety & Building Resilience by Lisa Macedo, LMFT from Palo Alto Teen Therapy Center and AnaMaria Guevara, LCSW from Thrive: Healing Center for Families & Children.

It is estimated that at least 20% of all teens are currently suffering from anxiety in the United States. Making matters worse, anxiety and depression are often a package deal. This talk is an opportunity to learn more about what is anxiety and who gets it? Are some teens at higher risk? Who are they? And, most importantly, how can parents help?

4/19/18  Emotional Intelligence: More Important than GPA and SAT scores combined for your student's success by Lorea Martinez, PhD, SEL Consultant from Six Seconds, The Emotional Intelligence Network.

Decades of research point to emotional intelligence as the critical factor that sets star performers apart from the pack. Come learn about what exactly is emotional intelligence? Can emotional intelligence be developed and taught? If it's so important, why isn't our school teaching it? And, what can parents do to help?

TBD Why are "smart, good" students cheating? Presented by Jon Herzenberg, Psy.D, Associate Head of School/Acting Dean of Students, Drew School

Cheating is a provocative topic without a doubt. We are all aware that cheating happens and perhaps it does not surprise us. But, when students in Advanced Placement and Honors classes resort to cheating to make the ever more illusive A, we may stop to ask what is at play? Is it the increasingly competitive college entrance experience, is it parent pressure and a symptom of cultural norms, or a result of the structure of the education system itself? And, what exactly are the short-term and long-term consequences of cheating?

Recap of Challenge Day and School Assembly

By Principal Kara Butler

The climate and culture of the school are important aspects we have been focusing on this last year and a half. We have been fortunate to bring two events to Leigh in support of that work. The first was our Challenge Days where over 200 students along with staff and parent volunteers spent a day learning about each other, realizing that we all go through challenges and not to judge each other, and finding ways to accept everyone. These students were from all backgrounds and walks of life and in the end were asked to be ambassadors of acceptance and to set an example for others.

Two weeks ago we had the privilege of hosting Keith Hawkins for a whole school assembly. His message also included themes of acceptance, realizing the impact we have on each other, that actions create change not words, and that we should stop comparing ourselves to others as that contributes to stress and negative self-perception. His approach was inspiring and we heard from many students afterwards that they were positively impacted.

Our hope is that through these experiences we will slowly begin to shift the culture of the school to one where all students feel safe, accepted and cared for. We will continue this work with our Town Hall meetings that focus on topics identified by students, our Leigh talks that provide further platforms for messages of acceptance, and weeks that focus on themes like Motivation, Stress-Relief, and Recognition.

Thank you to the Home & School Club for funding the Challenge Days!

We Love our Teachers and Staff!

On November 16, the Staff Appreciation Committee hosted a Nacho Fiesta for our teachers and staff. In addition, the teachers from our feeder middle schools joined in the festivities as they were at LHS with the 8th grade students for "Shadow Day". We had a huge turn out for lunch, and the event was a great success. 

We surpassed our Membership Drive goal!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to our membership drive to date. It is very much appreciated. Our membership drive is our largest fundraiser of the year, and as of December 4th ,  we have raised $30,043. 

Thank you for helping us surpass our goal of $25,000!

$3256 of the donated amount came from corporate matching. If you haven't had a chance yet, please request corporate matching at your company so that you can double or triple your donation to Leigh. Details on how to do this are below.

Donations are always welcome. The more money we raise, the more programs and activities we can support for our students. Click  here to donate.

Earn FREE money for Leigh

Corporate Matching - we have earned $3256 to date

Many local companies offer matching donations to school organizations. If you avail of this program you can double or triple your donation to Leigh Home and School Club! Many companies also donate cash to match your volunteer hours contributed to the school. Please check with the HR department at your company to see if it has a matching donations program. Our Tax ID: #77-0199809. Click here for more information and to see a list of companies that offer this program (it is not a complete list - if you do not see your company on this list, please do check with your HR dept).

Shopping on Amazon? Using eScrip? - we have earned $1293 to date

College & Career Center Newsletter

Operation of our college and Career Center depends on the 30+ parent volunteers that manage all of the activities taking place under the guidance of College and Career Specialist, Mrs Nathalie Goricanec. Mrs. Goricanec and a group of volunteers have published their first newsletter. Click here to view (and subscribe to future newsletters which will be published bi-weekly).

To stay informed about news and announcements from the College and Career Center:

• join our Facebook group LonghornsCCC
• follow us on Twitter @LonghornsCCC
• follow us on Instagram at cclhs
• get text reminders on your cell phone with Remind by texting @38df to 81010
• send an email to LonghornsCCC@gmail.com
• join our Leigh Longhorns CCC Newsletter mailing list: http://eepurl.com/c7KRAn

Take our Home & School Club Survey

Would you like to share your thoughts with the Home & School Club Board on the programs we fund? On our Mission? On our Communications? Click here to complete the Home & School Club survey.

Your feedback is critical to helping us improve, and this is your chance to share your opinions and preferences.  Thank you!